SANDHILL CRANE (Grus canadensis)
The sandhill crane is BLUE-listed because of the lack of data on breeding populations in B.C., and habitat loss and degradation for breeding populations in the Fraser Lowlands and Okanagan valley. The greater sandhill crane, a subspecies of the sandhill crane, is designated as NOT AT RISK in Canada by COSEWIC.
The sandhill crane roosts and feeds in open wetland areas such as bogs, swamps, marshes, estuaries, fens and dry upland areas such as grasslands and agricultural fields. It nests in secluded freshwater wetlands that are surrounded by forest cover. Nests are large heaps of vegetation in water, surrounded by a screen of emergent vegetation. Young leave the nest and forage with their parents around the perimeter of the wetland, primarily in sedge meadows. When threatened, adult and young sandhill cranes will often run into heavy forest cover. In B.C., the sandhill crane is a solitary nester with breeding pairs sparsely distributed across available habitat. The breeding season extends from early April (coastal), and early May (interior), to late August.
COM: HEL, NAB, NAR, NPR, OUF, SPR, QCL, SKP, WQC, NWL, NIM, WIM
GED: LIM, NAL, FRL
CEI: BUB, CAB, CAP, CHP, FRB, NAU, NEU, QUL, WCU
SBI: BAU, MCP, NEL, PAT
SIM: BOV, QUH, SCM, SFH, BBT, EKT, UFT
SOI: SOB, OKR, NOB, STU, (THB - eastern end only)
BOP: CLH, PEL, KIP
TAP: FNL, ETP, PEP
NBM: TEP, LIP
BG: all
BWBS: BWBSmw
CDF: CDFmm
CWH: all
ICH: all
IDF: IDFdk, IDFmw
MS: all
PP: all
SBPS: SBPSxc, SBPSdc, SBPSmk, SBPSmc
SBS: SBSdw, SBSdk, SBSmh, SBSmw, SBSmk, SBSmc
The sandhill crane breeds throughout most of the central interior, the Queen Charlotte Islands, the Fort Nelson Lowland, and in low elevation bogs, marshes and muskeg wetlands up to 1220 m elevation. It is a local breeder in the East Kootenay Trench, along the mainland coast, in the Okanagan and Thompson Basin, and at Pitt Meadows and Burns Bog in the Fraser Lowland. Breeding is probable throughout the Central Interior, the southern Sub-boreal Interior. About 2000-4000 cranes are thought to breed in B.C.
The nonbreeding range includes western and southern Vancouver Island, local areas of the east Kootenay, and northwestern B.C.
The sandhill crane is a common to abundant migrant in the interior and an uncommon to common migrant on the coast. Three major migration corridors exist in B.C. Lessers and greaters (about 25 000 birds) pass through the Okanagan valley and Thompson plateau, Williams Lake and the Kispiox valley before the lesser sandhill cranes carry on towards Alaska. A second, coastal route follows southern and central Vancouver Island, then extends up the mainland coast. A third route brings cranes (mainly lessers, up to 200 000) from Alberta through the Peace River and Fort Nelson Lowlands. Small numbers winter on the Queen Charlotte Islands, Vancouver Island and the lower Fraser River valley.
BB, BG, BS, CB, CF, ES, FE, ME, MR, RE, SH, SS
2-7: herb - old forest
The sandhill crane requires shallow freshwater wetlands with emergent vegetation (sedge, cattails, bulrush, hardhack, willows, Labrador tea) for nesting and brood rearing. Nesting wetlands are usually secluded, free from disturbance and surrounded by forest. On the coast, brackish estuaries are used for brood rearing.
Forested buffer zones around nesting marshes are likely critical for relatively small (1-10 ha) wetlands. Although the sandhill crane will occasionally nest in revegetating clearcuts, clearcuts are not suitable habitat alternatives to wetlands.
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Bull. 98:131-137.
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trends of Greater Sandhill Crane populations in Oregon and California. NW. Nat.
75:1-10.
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cranes, Grus canadensis, wintering in California's Central Valley. Condor 93:266-278.
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components of biodiversity in British Columbia: Freshwater colonial nesting birds. B.C. Min. Environ., Lands and Parks, Wildl. Br., Victoria, B.C.
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